PHILADELPHIA — The regular season is officially here. The Philadelphia Eagles host their opener Sunday against the Washington Commanders at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Kick back. Enjoy a beverage. Happy reading.
The Athletic’s Zach Berman and Brooks Kubena answered six pressing questions surrounding the Eagles.
1. What’s your season prediction entering Week 1?
Berman: I’m predicting the Eagles to finish 11-6, earn the NFC’s No. 3 seed and win a home playoff game. In this projection, the Eagles would then lose on the second weekend of the playoffs to the No. 2 seed – either from the NFC West or the NFC North. The Eagles’ defense is a top-5 unit, and perhaps even the best. They’ll set a high floor for the team. The offense will determine the ceiling.
I expect the Eagles to be a much better rushing offense, and they’ll be more efficient because of that group. The passing offense will be less consistent. If the passing offense can become dynamic, the Eagles can push for the No. 1 seed.
If it’s more of a middle-of-the-pack group, it could knock the Eagles down a tier. As always, good health will be important. The Eagles need the offensive line to avoid long-term injuries, and for DeVonta Smith to stay on the field. There’s also a big dropoff at cornerback if Quinyon Mitchell or Cooper DeJean go down.
Kubena: This team is capable of reaching the NFC title game. The Eagles were 20 yards away from reaching the divisional round last year while fielding their worst offense under Nick Sirianni. This year’s defense is built to be even better. I expect growing pains for new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s system, but the overall talent is there to better take advantage of the margins the defense gives it.
There is too much unpredictability in Jalen Hurts’ wide receiver options beyond Smith to comfortably predict a Super Bowl run. Still, it’s worth pointing out the “Super Team” Rams just got embarrassed in their debut. Surprises happen.
2. What do you make of Jonathan Greenard missing Week 1?
Kubena: It was not all that surprising that Greenard was ruled out. We spoke with him Thursday at his locker for the first time since he injured his pectoral muscle while lifting weights over the summer — an injury he called “one of those freak things.” Most telling was what Greenard said of his recovery: “Obviously, it’s not 100 (percent).” He feels great doing some reps. He then “may feel a little something” in others. Greenard is far too valuable for the Eagles to risk a recurrence. “Thank God I didn’t need surgery,” Greenard said.
The Eagles can afford not to push it. The Commanders are weaker in pass protection with left tackle Laremy Tunsil on injured reserve. The Eagles should be able to get enough production out of Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith, plus depth, to buy Greenard more time to recover. And it should not be much longer. “We’re close — know that,” Greenard said.
Berman: Eagles fans shouldn’t be discouraged. It’s a positive development that he’s back at practice this week. It shows that this won’t be a long-term injury. But Greenard is not ready for his full allotment of snaps — ”It’s going to be a while before he’s game-ready for a full load,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said — and the Eagles will likely ease him in. Fangio pushed Jaelan Phillips to the top of the rotation after a midseason trade last year, but that’s different than coming off injury. Also, my big question for Greenard is how much the injury will affect him this season. He needs to ensure he’s the player he needs to be by November and December — not Week 1.
3. What are you watching when the Eagles have the ball?
Berman: I’ll focus on the running game, which this offense is built around. The Commanders have been vulnerable against the Eagles during the Saquon Barkley Era. Barkley has averaged 136.5 yards per game over four games, including the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles topped 200 rushing yards in every game the starters played against Washington. (This takes out the Week 18 game last season.)
It’s a different Eagles offense in 2026. The Commanders have a new defensive coordinator and made personnel changes, including the exit of veteran linebacker Bobby Wanger. This should still be a big Barkley game. And if the Eagles are effective on the ground in Week 1, fans can feel more confident about the season.
Kubena: Can I say everything? But if I were to pinpoint two things, it’s the pace of the operation and the unpredictability of its presentations. The Eagles broke the huddle 1.3 seconds later in 2025 than they did in 2024 and led the NFL with 150 plays with one second left on the play clock. Sirianni emphasized breaking the huddle quicker in training camp, sometimes taking extra time off the play clock on certain plays to challenge the offense.
Will the Eagles be the aggressor with time on their side and leverage the new cadence Mannion says can be a weapon? The 2025 Eagles also made things harder on themselves by predictably running while under center and passing while in the shotgun. Will there be more variance this year?
4. What are you watching when the Commanders have the ball?
Kubena: Again, everything. But I will be interested to see how much base the Eagles play against the Commanders — specifically, against offensive personnel packages other defenses generally don’t. Fangio intimated in training camp that “there’s a chance you’ll see more base, not just from us, but from other people too.” That’s partly because NFL offenses are trending toward using more 12 personnel. Newly promoted Commanders OC David Blough is expected to prioritize multiple tight end formations, too.
The way the Commanders play may call for the Eagles to play more base. But you could argue the Eagles field their best 11 defenders in base. (DeJean shifts from nickel to safety, and Moro Ojomo, Jalen Carter, and Jordan Davis are along the interior.)
Do they stick with the group in certain situations? The 2025 Eagles averaged the seventh-most plays per game in base defense against 11 personnel (1.94), according to TruMedia. The Las Vegas Raiders led the league (9.65). Which direction does Fangio trend?
Berman: I’ll focus on Jayden Daniels’ legs. The Eagles allowed the second most rushing yards in the NFL to quarterbacks last season. They were an outstanding defense, but that seemed like a vulnerability. Daniels did not face the Eagles last season. He rushed for 81 yards in a December game against the Eagles in 2024.
The Commanders’ backfield is a question mark, so a chunk of their rushing yards might need to come from the quarterback. It’s a way to counter the Eagles’ strong defensive interior. The Eagles are the superior team, but if there’s a path for them to lose, it’s a huge performance from Daniels on the ground.
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5. What’s something interesting you learned this week in the locker room?
Berman: I’ll go with something I learned from the coaches on the podium. Offensive line coach Chris Kuper spoke last week about the appreciation and aptitude Mannion maintains for the run game. You might think a former college and NFL quarterback would be more focused on the passing game. I asked Mannion about this, and he agreed and lit up when discussing his background in the running game. When he became a coach with the Packers, one of his first responsibilities was to draw up runs.
“Anyone who’s done it knows it can be a tough job,” Mannion said. “There’s a lot of detail. There’s a lot of different adjustments that the defense makes, how the offense blocks different combinations, how they attack different fronts, snap points, motions. There’s a lot that goes into it.”
He said he was exposed to “a whole new world I was able to dive into, and I always loved the balance between the run and the pass.” He also said he’s “very passionate” about working with the offensive line, adding, “It’s a great cross-section of your team in terms of the toughness, the play style, winning the line of scrimmage.” Mannion even said the background in the run shaped him as a coach. This should be a good indication of what’s to come.
Kubena: I’d say Greenard’s self-diagnosis was the most newsy thing I learned. But I asked Hunt for a little more insight into the difference between the level of resources he gets with the Eagles compared to what he experienced at Cornell and Houston Baptist. He said getting meals immediately after workouts is a major difference.
At Houston Baptist, they generally only got peanut butter crackers and shakes. He acknowledged that HBU had done its best with its budget — “shoutout to my dogs in the Southland (Conference),” he said — but the disparity partly underlines why he’s been able to bulk up since his rookie season (and sustain the frame), and also why his ceiling still hasn’t yet been reached.
6. What’s your Eagles-Commanders prediction?
Kubena: Much will be made of the Eagles debuting a new offense — and it will be warranted. But the Commanders are doing the same thing. The Commanders also have one of the NFL’s weaker defensive lineups, especially in the secondary. First-year Commanders DC Daronte Jones was the Minnesota Vikings’ pass game coordinator last year, against whom Hurts authored the best regular-season performance of his career in becoming the 82nd quarterback in NFL history to finish a game with a perfect passer rating. The calculus and strategy of the 2026 Eagles’ passing game is vastly different, but can it find similar weaknesses to exploit? Eagles 30, Commanders 17.
Berman: I don’t anticipate as many points as you do. The element of surprise with coordinator changes could work for both teams, but I can see a sluggish start — especially for the passing game — and I don’t see the firepower from the Commanders.
The Eagles will control the ball on the ground; Smith will be heavily targeted (and productive) to move the chains, but it won’t produce a big scoring output. On defense, the Eagles’ secondary will limit Washington in the passing game. The Eagles should win up front, too. Daniels is the wild card. They need to keep him from explosive plays with his legs. The Eagles are 5.5-point favorites. I see an Eagles win to advance to 6-0 in season openers in the Sirianni Era, but not a blowout. Eagles 24, Commanders 19.
Bonus news nugget
Eagles rookie tight end Eli Stowers is officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game with his hamstring injury. He was limited in all three practices this week.
